Traffic Light, Fox, Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. EST
You might know Fox's brotastic new sitcom as Mixed Signals, its former title. You might know it as the midseason replacement for Running Wilde. But to be honest, the show deserves to be recognized on its own merits. Obviously, it could have stumbled over its own machismo--the protagonists are three freewheeling guys in their thirties--but there's surprising depth to the stories. Adam (Nelson Franklin) just moved in with his girlfriend; Mike (David Denman) is married, with a one-year-old; Ethan (Kris Marshall) is perpetually, happily single. Through car-phone conference calls and happy hour meet-ups, they snatch some quality time away from their respective women.
All of the male leads impress, but my favorite is probably Denman. He was positively repulsive as Pam's fiance Roy on The Office, but here he plays beleaguered new dad Mike with heart. Franklin plays perhaps the most well-adjusted of the three, but with the sarcasm that got him recognized in 2010's Scott Pilgrim. And of course I'm always happy to see Marshall--Colin Frizzle from Love Actually--working the British angle. Despite the jokes at their expense, the female characters are more than just plot conventions. Adam's girlfriend Callie (Aya Cash) plays sweet and funny, with good comedic timing. Liza Lapira, who appeared on Dollhouse last year, is a hoot as Mike's firm-edging-on-overbearing wife Lisa.
The jokes themselves are more thought-out than the cheap jabs on similar sitcoms--coughBetterwithYoucough--and work well because they're tied to these characters. The pilot sees Adam recruiting Mike to play a wrestler known as the Sawing Clown on the same day that he's supposed to accompany Lisa to a party for her boss. It's a great intersection of elaborate disguise, lies, and more than a little physical comedy.
Traffic Light throws us a dramatic curveball by the end of its pilot, and rather than seeming out of place or dragging down the humor, it grounds us nicely. These guys are somewhere in-between the raucous crew in Undeclared and the somber Men of a Certain Age. They've experienced love, loss, success, and terrifying real-life wrestling matches, and they're coming out swinging.
Sum...ology: An impressive cast, compelling stories, and smartly understated humor. Green light means go.
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